Counting on Counting Crowes

Hey!

So, while doodling around YouTube, I came across this great song from way back when:





So after enjoying the song, I wander over to Wikipedia and check out the Counting Crows article. Learned some interesting things about the band there:

The band took its name from a divination rhyme about the crow, heard by Duritz in the film Signs of Life.^[8] The rhyme begins the third verse (around the 2:07 mark) of the song "A Murder of One" on the album August and Everything After : "Well I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow / Casting shadows on the winter sky as you stood there, counting crows / One for sorrow, two for joy / Three for girls and four for boys / Five for silver, six for gold / Seven for a secret never to be told."

I did not know that.

This too:

Counting Crows, and Adam Duritz in particular, have become renowned for the energetic, passionate nature of their live performances. Duritz frequently extends and rewrites songs live, adding extra verses or alternate middle sections and/or endings, sometimes fitting most of another of the band's other songs into the middle of the first. On a live performance on Howard Stern's SIRIUS broadcast radio show, he delivered an altered version of "'Round Here" that Stern said was one of the best performances in his studio he had ever heard, with anchor Robin Quivers agreeing.

Well, then I just had to check out this performance. Sure enough, here it is from YouTube. They start off slow, with joking and talk and Adam Duritz has some bunny outfit on. But then they get going and it just takes off. I'd agree with Howard and Robin, it's very powerful. What do you think?

Cluelessly Covered Fish

Surf's up:

Thinking about Brittany Murphy's premature passing, I recalled her break-out film and by far my favorite one of hers - Clueless, with Alicia Silverstone.

It's such a charming little comedy and a whole new dimension is added when you realize that it's actually pretty closely based on Jane Austen's Emma.

I also recalled my favorite line from Clueless. When Tai (Brittany Murphy) first arrives the kids are at gym. After the principal's introduction the gym teacher says to Tai "You can play a few rounds in those clothes" to which Amber, the nasty snob says:
"She could be a FARMER in those clothes."

I dunno why, but I just love that line! (you can see it here, at the 2:25 mark)

So I start searching for Clueless clips on YouTube and find the whole film in 1o parts. How long before YouTube takes that copyright violation down?

Watching it brought back a lot of fond memories and I recognized a lot of actors who weren't know then, but have gone on to other great projects. So I start checking them out on IMDB, too.

You've got:

• Donald Faison, later known as Turk of Scrubs fame (Go Scrubs!)
• Paul Rudd, who's been working a lot lately (Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man)
• Jeremy Sisto, who went on to Six Feet Under (great for the first two seasons) and as a detective on the most recent Law & Order seasons (where the writing has seriously gone south!)
• And of course, Carl Gottlieb!
  

Then I think, what has Alicia Silverstone been doing lately??? Turns out, not too much, except maybe working for PETA where she's really corny, but as hot as she's ever been:


Alicia Silverstone’s Sexy Veggie PSA
Order a FREE vegetarian starter kit at GoVeg.com

After watching that video a few times, I go to Wikipedia and read in her bio that she is Jewish (MOT!) and her half-sister is the famous Kezi Silverstone!

What? Never heard of Kezi? Me neither, so off to YouTube I go. There I find her latest single (only 4 years old):



But after listening to this song for a few seconds I start getting a déjà vu feeling. "Fishes in the ocean..." Haven't I heard this song in Swedish?

I google and google, but nothing about Nightengale being a cover or anything. Finally I translate a the familiar line into Swedish: "fiskarna i havet", and google them. Pay dirt!



It's the EXACT same song, but in Swedish and actually titled "Fiskarna i havet". Looks like the singer, Idde Schultz, stole Kezi's song, translated it into Swedish, travelled back in time and released it in 1995, the same year that Clueless was released. Idde, that is devious!

And I have to say that I like Idde's versions much better. It's not so stuffed with background music. It's kind of scaled back and lets the wonderful melody stand for itself.

From Brittany Murphy's best movie to Idde Schultz's time travel, that's my ground-breaking, beach combing discovery for the day.